Jelani Jenkins - the nation's top rated defensive player

According to Rivals.com, Jelani Jenkins is the top rated high school defensive player...

Jelani Jenkins, olb, 6'2"/220, Olney, Maryland/Our Lady of Good Counsel High
- Runs the 40 in 4.45...has 4.0 GPA...
- Is ranked 9th overall by ESPN...

As of January 5, 2008, Rivals.com had this assessment of Jenkins after his performance at the Under Armour game...
Assets: A smart and athletic linebacker prospect with good speed. He plays downhill and is very physical.
Areas for improvement: Jenkins needs to play with more discipline.
What was most impressive in the game: Jenkins had a huge collision with White running back Trent Richardson when trying to tackle him. He made some nice plays running sideline to sideline. Jenkins finished with five tackle.
Conclusion: At only 16 years of age Jenkins future is so bright. He's just an explosive linebacker prospect that can make plays all over the field.

Has proved it all season long that he’s one of the nation’s best players, but recent performance on national television sealed the deal to make him now the nation’s top defensive prospect.

As of January 5, 2008, ESPN had this assessment of Jenkins:
Jenkins is a tough, rangy outside linebacker prospect who plays fast and physical on every snap and has tremendous upside. He has a tall, leaner frame and lacks ideal bulk at this point, but he should fill out very well while retaining his natural explosiveness in space. Possesses great fast-twitch athleticism and packs the punch of a much bigger linebacker. Generates striking speed over a short-area. He's a very strong tackler who wraps up low and drives through with great power from his hips and lower body. Gets great jumps on the ball and is a very reactive athlete. Steps down quickly when filling vertically and delivers great power at the point of attack. Also excels when pursuing laterally and sifting through the wash. Gets over trash fluidly while maintaining sharp pursuit angles. Hits the run seams inside-out to make plays at or behind the line of scrimmage. Has good change-of-direction quickness to make up for false steps. Flashes great range and a high motor when chasing sideline to sideline. Shows great blitz ability off the edge with his first-step quickness and good acceleration. Demonstrates good run instincts, coverage instincts and a nose for the ball. Could get more consistent depth on his coverage drops to effectively utilize his good closing speed. Sometimes struggles to disengage the blocks of uncovered linemen. Needs to add bulk and increase his upper-body strength to improve his shedding ability. Most of Jenkins' weak spots can be addressed with proper coaching or weight-room work. His ability to both make plays in space and stack the run between the tackles is highly-coveted in an outside linebacker prospect. Excellent prospect.

Where is he headed?
Jenkins has visited and/or will visit Florida and Penn State...he also lists Illinois, Miami, Michigan, Notre Dame, USC, Stanford, and Virginia Tech as favorites...

Check out this 2:29 clip of Jenkins...